"Commander. Good to see you still alive." The minister sat back in his chair as he probed for information. "I understand that Admiral Pinkerton is not so lucky."
"It is good to be alive sir." The Commander replied.
Commerce Minister Jacobs was now in his own office. A large picture window looked out on a white peaked range of purple mountains. The digital rendering tore once or twice and then changed to a seascape of palm trees and white sand beaches. He briefly thought it and appropriate metaphor for what was happening to his Alliance – it was tearing apart from the inside, but behind a pretty façade, where no one could see.
"What is happening with our problem on Persephone."
"I have a striker unit ready to prosecute the Firefly issue." The Commander confirmed. "But now I'm not so sure they are the culprits."
"What?" The Minister laughed. "You no longer believe them to simply be Independent terrorists?"
"Sir, honestly I thought they would be connect to the Dust Devils or the Black Lotus, but now I have my doubts. The Black Lotus is targeting them. They don't normally target their own or the D2 as of late."
"Commander – tell me, what has Captain Loe done?"
"Captain Loe has also dispatched a strike unit, Minister."
"From the Vanguard?"
"No sir, they have come in from Sihnon."
"Interesting. Why such a heavy hand I wonder and why his brother's troops? Perhaps I should keep a more open mind. Continue as planned Commander, make sure that you take control of the freighter first, but watch closely what Loe does and keep me informed. I might want to talk to this Malcolm Reynolds, see what it is that worries Loe so much."
"Yes Sir."
"Perhaps I have finally found what I have been looking for."
The sun beat down on an older looking Anthony Loe as he sat by a pool, resting in the shade of an umbrella between his computer table and his breakfast. His face was drawn, tired and though his clothes were richly appointed they were unkempt, as he had been in them for quite some time.
"The striker unit from Sihnon has arrived in the Persephone. All are loyal to the Lotus. They should be in place in an hour." The voice announced from the Com.
"Good brother, I dare not move against Jacobs until I know the interloper has been silenced. We can not afford to let Blackwell know we are his opponents, not yet." The Minister looked spent, his shadowed face was drawn and weary as he sat on the veranda of his floating villa.
"I have found little in the fleet records on this ship and its crew of note. Some smuggling, run-ins with other criminal elements." The Minister's twin said. "Still, Jacobs has made no move of his own. Perhaps there is still time."
"This captain Reynolds, who is he?"
"A petty thief and smuggler." The younger Loe offered. "Though Reynolds is reputed to have stolen the Laciter."
"The Laciter is of no consequence. I fear they are not what they seem, as you say. Perhaps operatives brother, but whom they are operating for is not clear." The older said. "What are they doing now?"
"They haven't left their transport in hours and there have been no communications."
Loe looked at his chessboard again, glaring at the pawn at its center.
"Who are they? What do they know?" The Minister puzzled as he turned back to his computer screen. "And who are they working for?"
The monitor of the Vidcom went black leaving only the reflection of his face. He did not recognize the reflection staring back at him. Only a few hours earlier this face was confident and ready to take the reins of power. Now he felt a man losing his grip. This was not the face of an Emperor.
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